Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/671338
BestDriver News T he burden being placed on roadside inspectors by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administra on is becoming ex- cessive, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance says, due to the large number of exemp ons being granted to drivers and carriers. In a letter penned to FMCSA in Feb- ruary, CVSA Executive Director Collin B. Mooney said there were more than 20 exemption applications or renewal requests granted in 2015, including some for vehicle equipment, hours-of- service and more. "Due to the amount of exemptions allowed by FMCSA in the past year, an excessive burden is being placed on in- spectors to ensure all active exemptions are being followed properly," Mooney said in the letter. "Furthermore, this puts an undue training burden on agen- cies that must be diligent in informing all inspectors of the new exemptions and ensuring they understand and apply the exemptions properly." FMCSA Spokesman Duane De- Bruyne said the letter is under review by the agency. CVSA's Mooney went on to say in his letter that with the allowance of such a large number of exemptions, "the likelihood of achieving a level of safety equivalent to, or greater than, the level that is expected by the current regula- tion is in jeopardy." There is also a possibility that "roadside inspectors will no longer accurately enforce the regula- tions, or may stop enforcing regulations all together," he writes. Mooney said CVSA doesn't object to the exemptions on an individual basis, but added that exemptions "complicate the enforcement process, causing confu- sion and inconsistency in enforcement," thus undermining uniformity in enforce- ment. Mooney suggested that FMCSA removing or limiting exemptions would eliminate the confusion and inconsis- tency in enforcement, which, he said, would benefit both the industry and the enforcement community." bdj 36 April 2016 BestDriverJOBS www.bestdriverjobs.com By Matt Cole CVSA says high number of FMCSA-issued exemptions overly burdensome to inspectors